The Board of Directors of Diamond Bank Plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Uzoma Dozie as its new Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer-designate from November 1, 2014 following the resignation of Dr. Alex Otti.
Although the bank was silent on the reason for Otti’s resignation, the former Diamond Bank boss is linked with a political ambition in his home state, Abia, where he is seeking to be nominated as a gubernatorial candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Dozie’s appointment is subject to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) approval, the bank said in official statement released by the Corporate Communications Department.
“We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Uzoma Dozie as the new Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank Plc in consonance with the Bank’s succession strategy and in recognition of Mr. Dozie’s wealth of banking knowledge,” said the bank.
According to the statement, Dozie, 45, began his banking career 20 years ago and has served in various roles and functions related to credit and marketing, planning and financial control and business process re-engineering.
The statement added, “He is currently the driving force behind the bank’s market leadership in the Nigerian retail banking space, championing major innovations in e-banking (Diamond Mobile app), banking the un-banked (Diamond Yello and BETA proposition), and masterminding the strategy for promoting a seamless transition to a cashless economy.
“Uzoma Dozie graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Reading, Berkshire, England. He obtained a Master of Science degree in Chemical Research from the University College, London in 1992. As he progressed in his professional career, he enrolled at the Imperial College Management School, London, where he obtained an MBA with specialisation in Finance in 1998.”
It will be recalled that Diamond Bank, had about two months ago, vehemently denied media reports about Otti’s political ambition.
Mindful about the ongoing N50.37billion rights offer at the time, the bank went further with newspaper advertorial in all the major national dailies to debunk reports about Otti’s planned resignation in order not to jeopardise the success of the offer.